Hopeful...ever hopeful. Setting aside the occasional disappointments and annoyances that dA provides (the price we pay, I guess), I'm really thankful for what 2022 brought to me here: opportunities to converse with friends, to view some truly wonderful (if usually transgressive) art and writing, and chances to post some of my own drawings and short stories. And all in the context of making and thinking about art. As for my friends here...well, you guys know who you are, and I'm very grateful. You enrich and enliven my life. I'm doing my best to anticipate 2023 with enthusiasm and hope, even though the world's behavior make the odds awfully slim. Personally, I do what I can to help, but my various efforts are very tiny, and the problems are enormous and complex. It's harder and harder to remain an existentialist without being completely overrun by cynicism. How Sartre did it astounds me. I find I'm reduced to random acts of kindness on a daily basis: "Thank you" spoken to others more